1951 Fender Deluxe 5A3 TV Tweed (Teardown & Demo)

[@TheGuitologist]

See this amp with more guitars, including a strat here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qH-QZ5J4oZprorc&lc=z13ov3lwomifsd31a22vcbdoemqsedyyp04

[@strontkakpis]

I don't know if you will read this, or even delete this instantly. But I have a question about an old Fender amp. I've found one for sale. Fender '55 5E1 champ tweed tweed narrow panel Was only in production for 1 yaer (they claim, not checked) Serial N° 600305 (if i can read it correctly) The asking price is €2200 which is approx: 2380 US Dollars. Good price you think? Visually there's not much to wear and tear, looks 20-30 years old, not 60.. Thanks anyway! Kind regards..

[@bobcobb1863]

This is my old amp. The speaker is a '61 Jensen, sounds great. The original tubes were in it when I acquired it, all RCA's. The original pre/PI tubes were metal can 6SC7's, which were replaced due to their microphony. Had to try about 16 tubes in those positions until I happened on those military grade GT's which were the least noisy option. The service work was done by Bill Gill of Electroglide Amps in Medicine Hat, Alberta as the amp had been in storage in California for over 20 yrs. The fuse was put in there by an tube radio repair guy here locally. Great amp - the old seasoned pine resonates so very well that clean notes sustain for over 20 seconds. Nice to see an old friend here...

[@TheGuitologist]

Thanks for that additional information. What happened with the original OT, any recollection on that? And was that what I surmised, a later Brownface era OT?

[@bobcobb1863]

No info on the OT that I can illuminate, unfortunately. Can tell you that the amp was much tighter sounding after the service work was performed on it. Bill indicated that almost all of the original caps were out of spec, some absurdly so. I liked the look of the Red Jupiters and the Sprague filter caps were a slam-dunk also. AFAIK, this amp went to a nice Southern gent a few yrs back on a deal we felt that was mutually beneficial.

[@chuckschillingvideos]

That '61 Jensen had to be a replacement speaker, since Fender stopped making the tv front style in the early 50's.

[@HD7100]

I grew up with equipment like this and Fender was just one of many examples of the high quality of American Made equipment. We were the BEST. I remember the wonderful Fender Piggy Back amps. BTW- I play organ but I knew many guitar players when I was growing up. I have a Fender Tube reverb unit that I use for my vocals. Alas I do not play gigs anymore. The old music I play is almost forgotten. Gary

[@MarkErikEE]

I really like your playing style - no going down the old road, but jamming complicated passages that sound original and refreshing.

[@cassvirgillo3395]

Hi Brad, Very nice old amp. What a good find. Only getting more rare. Thanks for the good look and explanation of the 5A3. Take care, C.

[@TheGuitologist]

thanks a lot, Cass. Yeah, this was a fun one to go over

[@EarlofBaltimore]

Your daughter has great taste in amplifiers. Great to impart real knowledge early!

[@t-bone3657]

Just bought the Deluxe - it’s everything everyone said it would be. Proudly made in USA 🇺🇸

[@douro20]

Those 6V6 tubes are late manufacture GE tubes which were made at the CGE factory in (I believe) Toronto back in the 1980s.

[@66g0yy]

Hey Brad love your show ,so hooked bought little project tube amp, think your show will help , thanks, Willie, B 🍻

[@giulioluzzardi7632]

Put yourselves in the shoes of the 14 year old hearing that sound for the 1st time, it must have either scared them or made them want to weild that power themselves. Fantastic video, 3xtra points for art-show reference.

[@Kennynva]

Man you plucking that thing like a banjo..AWESOME>>>

[@TheGuitologist]

Heh. Well, I am from Kentucky. :D

[@jacksonwth281s2]

IS the amp plugged straight into the outlet or did you use a variac to correct input voltage?

[@JamesOrcutt]

love love love that tone!..built a 5e3 from a kit tho

[@Cheeso888]

That kid has impeccable taste!

[@jamesgretsch4894]

Sir I love your videos. I wish I knew of you before because I was in Louisville in last May. Went to my niece's med school graduation 👨‍🎓. I think May maybe late April. Would love to met you and talked guitar shop.

[@TheGuitologist]

Anyone named Gretsch is qualified to talk guitars.

[@jamesgretsch4894]

LOL! Thanks. I have vintage hollowbody with a strange German name on the headstock called "Gretsch". Actually I have a 1965 Gretsch Country Club with a strange German name on the headstock. LOL. It's a magical guitar.

[@gabrieln3613]

I had this exact model/year, gigged with it full-time in late 1970's. Harmonica, it was sweet. Pawn Shop in San Diego, great shape for $225.

[@audiotechlabs4650]

I have been looking for any and all info on the early deluxes, so this is very interesting to me. My 57 5e3 is in dire need of restoration and to see the evolution of the deluxe is actually very helpful. I am hoping to get mine to a playable state as clean a tone as I can get. I will not be trying to sell it. Thankz

[@TheGuitologist]

That'll be a fun one. At least with a player you can do what you like without worrying about collectors.

[@brianwood7237]

6SC7...had a 51 for a few days, years ago, but took it back because what my amp tech said about the metal base on the 6CS7's and microphonic problems...I prefer the later 50's Circuits...currently have a Lil Dawg Prince Lunchbox head, the 5F2A circuit, in a single 6L6/GZ34 15 watt configuration...sounds amazing, run it thru two different 1x12 8 ohm cabs...Tweed amps are the best!

[@geemac7267]

Cadmium Yellow I think Bob would use there. Maybe a little Van Dyke Brown. lol

[@TheGuitologist]

Maybe a touch of Pthalo blue.

[@YeeThirty]

Dont forget titanium white..

[@blueguitarize]

Those 6SC7s must be Tung-Sols. They were the only glass 6SC7s made.

[@incubism]

Funny about the handle, I have seen 3 year old Blackstars with broken handles. So I think we can forgive a 60 year old Fender.

[@augiedoggie8814]

When looked at from the top straight down the shape is like the face of Marshall heads.I wonder if that inspired the design.

[@bgarrison67]

Nice amp. The staining on the left side of the back door looked like smoke stain. Wonder if the OT got smoked. In 51 GE was manning the war effort. Maybe the Canadian RCA division was covering GE's consumer market.

[@keithfisher7333]

Made in Canada might be Westinghouse? I have some metal, Made in Canada, 6sj7 with red lettering on them..

[@FPHLM]

What a cool amp !

[@imannonymous7707]

This is really sweet

[@holmes1978]

Simply a EXCELLENT review a Historic Legendary amp and a very good guitar player !!! Outstanding !!!! I do have a question I would love to know a old school topic have you put a SHURE 55 sh example mic in to the mic, or even the number one input and not play a mouth organ but sing a song in a small room and check out the sound your opinion ? Thank you very much from Paul Driscoll.

[@TheGuitologist]

I have not tried using this amp as a vocal amp, but this is something that was clearly seen at the time as an intended purpose! I think most bands would find little use for the mic feature, but maybe at a small backyard gig or something, or even for historical purposes, it might be cool to try using it to get a feel for how small gigs would have been played in the old days. PA systems were a luxury and most bands didn't have one, relying instead on the guitarist's amplifier.

[@chojinkid]

So this is cranked with no pedals?

[@roccogreco21]

posso chiederti dove trovi tutti questi amplificatori? ???

[@holmes1978]

Hi I' am referring to Eric Clapton reportedly used a 1957 Fender champ tweed amp for the ocean boulevard album in his home !

[@TerryLHampton]

Bob Ross would definitely have some Titanium White on a 2 inch brush in there for sure ha ha. Thanks for the video.

[@TheGuitologist]

....and a little Pthalo Blue. Very important. And you can go with the 2" brush, or a 1" fan brush. This is your painting, your little world. No mistakes, only happy accidents. :)

[@ptrgreeny]

I believe, but don't hold to this, the RCA 6V6 are really Canadian Marconi's rebranded with a RCA/GE logo. Thanks for posting video. I'm looking to buy a Tweed Deluxe clone and have been trying to hear differences between the 5E3, 5A3 and 5B3 circuits...thanks for the post.

[@TheGuitologist]

In retrospect, the camera I was using didn't do this amp much justice and that Tele was probably the wrong choice. An SG or LP would have been better.

[@TheAgentAssassin]

sounded pretty damn good to me Tele sounded crisp like a tele but had a really nice warm bell tone without removing the crispy bright airy tele tone at the same time.

[@TheGuitologist]

Yeah, it's not bad, I just wish I'd don't an LP too.

[@chuckschillingvideos]

That's not a bad thing - Marconi 6V6's sound great!

[@DonnTarris]

Someone has modified the 5C3 schematic, which actually had the two 6SC7 tubes. I have this schematic in "The Tube Amp Book" by Aspen Pittman.

[@jsullivan2112]

Canuck here! GE had a tube plant in Toronto. RCA on the other hand I believe did not. So really that tube doesn't surprise me. I would bet money that it closely resembles an RCA for the opposite reason: RCA contracted GE to make some of their tubes on the cheap in Toronto. And I think one owned the other at some point, or one turned into the other?

[@DeadKoby]

What I like about older tube amps is....... There's not much "tone shaping" between the input and output... You get a raw sound of the guitar. Nothing beats the Braddock. (www.mrvamps.com)... it's my Tweed inspired portable powerhouse. 12w of Single Ended power.

[@contrabandjoe7974]

Nicely done Brad.. I'm gonna be the odd man out here and say I didn't care for the tone of that amp... I know a youtube video likely doesn't do an amp justice but the 10 inch speaker sounded very AM radio-ish to me... was thin and very brittle.

[@TheGuitologist]

The speaker is a 12". But I agree that the demo portion left something to be desired. Some of the harshness that came across in the demo wasn't existent in the room. I should have cut the tone a bit to overcompensate for that. Thanks for the comment. Dissenting opinions always welcome.

[@chuckschillingvideos]

I thought it sounded just fine and exactly how I'd expect a single coil git through an early Deluxe to sound, especially at moderate volume. Perhaps if you had dimed it, the natural sag and compression of that tube rectifier would have brought out the "brown" tone a bit more.

[@larslarsman]

Agree, my ears are hurting, which happens in most clubs where the dj's always crank the treble up to fingernail scratching on the chalkboard goodness. I watch his vids mainly for the playing at the end. Always great.

[@enricopallazzo2987]

So isnt this the same model amp Larry Carlton used on Kid Charlemagne?

[@dennislarson9560]

It is possible that the 6L6 tube were made in the US using Canadian glass domes.

[@holmes1978]

I heard many stories Like Early Elvis and before him Bob Dylan etc.. And they would even put a mic the the speaker then ! Beck and Clapton used a Fender 57 Champ amp for many of there live and studio recording . But I must say its all there in terms of what ones would need

[@joesimon2018]

I'd try both tubes and see which one sounded better.

[@ringostarr4520]

Definitely the 5A3-5C3 Deluxe models all had 6SC7 for both preamp tubes. By the time you get to 5D3 they started using 12AY7 in first position and 12AX7 in the second. That edited 5A3 version of the schematic has been floating around for a while now and is not original. Mostly what I have heard is that the 6SC7 tubes have a bad reputation for going microphonic and 6SL7 is an improvement. However, in this amp, like you pointed out, the 6SC7 tube construction is shared cathode whereas the 6SL7 is separate, but yes the circuit ties the cathodes together either way. So from my perspective to really take advantage of a 6SL7 tube then the circuit would need to be altered. Most of these issues seem to be addressed by the time you get to the 5D3 schematic releases, albeit with different tubes in place too. robrobinette.com/images/Guitar/Deluxe_Models/5A3_Schematic.gif

[@TheGuitologist]

Thanks for the knowledgeable comment! I have seen more than one example of a 5A3 online in photos with the second 6SC7 stricken through on the tube chart and a handwritten "6SL7" there instead. Makes little sense they would do this on V2 if the goal was lower microphonics though. Seems that should have been done on V1.

[@ringostarr4520]

Maybe it was more important, in some theory, to have the PI tube be more reliable? Still does not make sense... Another thought is that Leo Fender had huge amounts of left over war time surplus tubes available to him and scored a deal on some 6SL7's. It is also not uncommon today that V1 and V2 have both 6SL7 tubes wired up on these amps but it was probably not original to the amp that way. Still it may never be known if it was Fender that scratched out those 6SC7's tube charts and wrote in 6SL7.

[@TheGuitologist]

...unless someone who worked at Fender back than can chime in and tell us! Wouldn't that be nice. Wishful thinking though. I'm afraid you're right...may never be known.

[@ratlordfx4219]

Lol Your Daughter at 6:34 ... Yeah.... I DO like it!!

[@rogerdavis7770]

You have an Amp Pixie in your garden.

[@memygtar]

That speaker has the late 50s label. Is it a 61? The early 50s was gold foil I think. Also the GTA tubes were 60s no? A couple of things non original to the amp?

[@TheGuitologist]

Yes, that's correct. The speaker is a later replacement from 61. This amp is what I call "lovingly serviced". Someone replaced all the stuff that would need to be replaced to bring the amp up to full reliable, safe, and playable condition. The speaker selection was a good one. Nice match for the circuit. Not sure on the tubes, date-wise..

[@paulcowart3174]

Availability definitely That was Leo

[@krang07]

wow man, was that a lucky craigs list find or something. winna winna chicken dinna. lolre schematic: I noticed more than a few modern type face fonts on that sheet. They all must be revisions of the original design?

[@TheGuitologist]

Not sure. Think it might be anotther 5A3 version from factory.

[@timjx3675]

I wonder if anyone builds 5A3 clones ?

[@acousticshadow4032]

Great playing. Should have backed off the shot, so we could see your left hand, and the whole Tele.

[@TheJeffburton]

When he turned to the back of the amp, all I see is a face. Just me?

[@BenPrevo]

That is asbestos Brad -- I wonder if they checked the resistors for drift ...

[@TheGuitologist]

Figured it was. As for the resistors, dunno. I know I didn't check them. If I get my meter out then I can't blame the other guy when something fails. :P

[@Zelleram55]

+The Guitologist if you decide to remove that asbestos and replace heat shield, thoroughly wet asbestos first with a water sprayer. That type of wrap is probably 70-90% pure asbestos. Only bad if you breath it. That type releases fibers really easily though. Water will keep it from releasing harmful fibers. I have ran into it inside transformers too.

[@enricopallazzo2987]

I'm sure he'll do asbestos he can

[@btm240]

beautiful family. i have a daughter, we are lucky.

[@YeeThirty]

I have sevral GE Canadian made tubes. Also GE Japan tubes lol

[@memygtar]

Thanks have you a Instagram page we can follow?

[@TheGuitologist]

I've been meaning to set one up and you just reminded me. Here ya go, nothing on there yet, but there will be: instagram.com/guitologist/

[@BatesAutomotive]

I have a 1961 fender tweed champ for sale for cheap or maybe trade

[@brownmonkeybananayellow]

haha love the kid

[@brianwood7237]

19:10

[@Mike-hr6jz]

If Leo is Building amps he went to hell.